Day: September 11, 2004

Fmr. Sheriff Allowed to Taint Jury Pool by Judge?  MJEOL Bullet #195 In late news yesterday (September 10 2004), the judge in the Michael Jackson case has essentially allowed the former sheriff of Santa Barbara, Jim Thomas, to continue to taint the potential jury pool by refusing to hold a hearing to decide whether he should fall under the gag order in the case.

Thomas, who is currently an analyst for NBC, recently appeared on a defamatory Dateline NBC report in which he claimed there was evidence against Jackson in 1993. He, however, provided zero evidence or documentation speaking to the allegation. He is also a source regarding an alleged $2M settlement in 1990. Again, he provided zero documentation or other evidence speaking to that allegation either.

Thomas was the sheriff in 1993 and is a crony of Tom Sneddon, according to sources. While he clearly should fall under the gag order, the judge has refused to hold a hearing on the matter.